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Dolly Parton has been in the news a lot lately, and she appears to have overcome some health concerns. 2026 is a milestone year for Dolly, marking her 80th birthday, the 60th anniversary of her marriage to the late Carl Dean, the 40th anniversary of Dollywood, and the 30th anniversary of her Imagination Library. There is no better time to send a love letter to “our Dolly.” Born January 19, 1946, in Sevierville, Tennessee, Dolly Rebecca Parton has risen from humble beginnings in the Great Smoky Mountains to become one of the most successful people in the entertainment world. Over a career spanning more than six decades, she has written such classics as “Jolene,” “Love is Like a Butterfly,” and “I Will Always Love You,” the latter becoming a worldwide hit when recorded by Whitney Houston.

My late mother would have been tickled by a front-page Wall Street Journal story that appeared on her 99th birthday.

It is Springtime which brings about all the fun of softball season for our household – nights spent under the lights, dinners on the go, lawn chairs and concession stand snacks. Our lives get filled with all the things that go into recreational sports in a quaint small town. Our daughter enjoys sports and it is a choice we allow her to make each season - one she whole heartly commits to once she laces up her cleats or ties her sneakers. I was reminded recently though, now that she is getting older, the importance of teaching our children through these seasons in life the valuable lessons of humility, humbleness and character building. “ Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”